Sully’s sold to AG New England

Kathy Remillard, k-rem@comcast.net

After 25 years in business, Sully’s Superette will have a new owner.

John Denoncourt, grandson of the original founder of Sully’s, confirmed that the store has been sold to wholesale supplier Associated Grocers of New England, and new ownership will take effect Dec. 29.

Denoncourt, who owns the store with his wife, Debbie, said the sale wasn’t something they had planned.

“I wasn’t out looking,” Denoncourt said. “They came to me and made the offer.”

The original Sully’s opened in 1937 on South Main Street in Manchester, and expanded in 1987 with the opening of the Goffstown location.

The Manchester store eventually closed in order to focus attention and build on the success of the Goffstown store.

According to a statement issued by AG New England, the company supplies independent grocery stores and also owns and operates a number of stores through a subsidiary company, including Harvest Market in Bedford, Hollis and Wolfeboro, and Vista Foods in Laconia and Newport, Vt.

“Sully’s has been an affiliated store customer of AG New England for several years and it is a logical transition for the family to pass the reins of the business to a company that is fully dedicated to the success of the independent retail grocers who are the owners of the cooperative,” said Mike Bourgoine, president and CEO of AG New England.

In terms of operation, not much will change.

“We intend to continue operations under the Sully’s name for the forseeable future,” said Bourgoine. “We’re extremely pleased to be acquiring this successful business.”

Denoncourt said management will also remain the same, as well as current employees.

“They were able to keep all of the employees, which was a big thing for me,” he said. “The only face you won’t see is mine.”

Denoncourt, who said he’s worked in the business his grandparents built since he was 14, said he will miss his employees and customers the most.

“You develop a relationship with the customers,” he said.

AG New England supplies over 600 stores across New England and into the Albany area of upstate New York from their distribution center in Pembroke. AG New England is owned entirely by Independent Retail Grocers as members of a cooperative, and is the largest retailer-owned, wholesale grocery distribution center in New England.